Subway Accessibility- New York City

When I went to New York City on vacation last week, I noticed how the subway was the main mode of transportation above a car or the bus. This week, I want to review the subway for its accessibility.

First, I want to give the subway kudos where kudos are due. The subway is cheap at under $3 a ride; you can catch multiple trains without leaving the underground system; it is extremely fast, and according to locals, you can eventually understand what the signs mean. However, adding a disability to this public transport system introduces a nightmare. I have a very controversial take: I do not fully endorse public transport because people with disabilities seem to be treated as an afterthought.

One of the main things I noticed while in the subway was that I had never seen a person in a wheelchair. I think there are many reasons for this. First, the turnstile entrances are narrow and based around a standing person's waistline to enter the subway. I don't think a wheelchair could fit. Next, not every stop has an elevator, so those with wheelchairs have to go significantly out of their way to find a stop that has a wheelchair entrance. Even if you follow the guide, I learned that many of the elevators are out of order for maintenance. Lastly, the subway gets very crowded, so there is not ample room to navigate entering and exiting the subway with a wheelchair. My backup plan for New York City before arriving was to buy a cheap manual wheelchair from a CVS-like store if I could not walk. I would not have been able to navigate the city if I ended up needing that accommodation because there seems to be no place for wheelchairs in the subway.

Another note about the subway is that for blind users, it can be hard to navigate because most of the information is visual, so it is crucial to have a sighted guide. I have seen blind people ride the bus in New York City seemingly independently, but the subway seemed to require a sighted person. The bus is a separate issue because while signs say: please offer your seat to a disabled or elderly person," someone like me has to prove their disability. The subway did not have the same signage as the busses.

This leads me to my main point: Inaccessibility lessens independence. I could not reliably use the subway system in New York City if I was in a wheelchair. I did some walking training with Pokemon Go to try to practice keeping up since I was getting over my first cold of the month (I am now getting over my second). The bus system is slightly better, but it takes much longer. Disabled people also have places to go and people to see, and I wish we were thought of during all stages of planning because I do think the subway system is really cool. Unfortunately, it is also inaccessible.

---

Thank you for reading about the accessibility of the subway system in New York City. If you have any questions or comments, please comment on the blog, reach out at @Anniekrollblog on Instagram or Facebook, or email me at Anniekrollblog@gmail.com. I hope to see you next week!